Sacraficial Love

Introduction.

ANZAC Day Illus

Many Aussies died

Serving their country

Saving their mates

Simpson & His donkey

Another story from WWII

Boarding the SS Dorchester on a dreary winter day in 1943 were 903 troops and four chaplains, including Moody alumnus Lt. George Fox. World War II was in full swing, and the ship was headed across the icy North Atlantic where German U-boats lurked. At 12:00 on the morning of February 3, a German torpedo ripped into the ship. "She’s going down!" the men cried, scrambling for lifeboats.

A young GI crept up to one of the chaplains. "I’ve lost my life jacket," he said. "Take this," the chaplain said, handing the soldier his jacket. Before the ship sank, each chaplain gave his life jacket to another man. The heroic chaplains then linked arms and lifted their voices in prayer as the Dorchester went down. Lt. Fox and his fellow pastors were awarded posthumously the Distinguished Service Cross.

There are many stories of sacrifice that have come out of all conflicts

There is one conflict however that has a sacrifice that has and can benefit all of mankind

I Love because of Christ’s example of sacrificial love 12-13

A The command to love

1 Love is the essence of the command

i Jesus did not come to destroy the law or

the prophets but to fulfill (Mt 5:17).

ii the greatest of these commandments

is “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God, (and) thy neighbor as thyself. On these

two commandments the whole law hangeth,

and the prophets”

(Mt 22:34-40;Mk 12:28-34;

2 Love is the principle behind the law

i When love is the principle the law is no

longer a command

ii Love becomes the inertia to respond to

the love of God in our hearts

a Love is the motive of obedience

b It is what harmonies our will

with the will of God

B The example of love

1 Christ loved us so much that he died

i In the death of Christ the love of God

was exemplified and made known

ii The sacrificial love of Christ is the

basis and principle of all spiritual

life (Jn 13:34).

2 It is an example that Christ wants us to follow

i Christianity is one generation away

ii The future of Christianity our church

depends

a Our attitude towards one another

b If love is our attitude then

there will be

- Unity instead of rivalry

- trust instead of

suspicion

- obedience instead of

self-assertion

3 John catches the whole idea of love in

1 John 3:16

This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers" (1 John 3:16).

II Love because of His friendship and what we know of Him 14 – 15

A If we say we are Christians then

1 We are followers of Him

2 We are obedient to Him

B Christ through His grace call us His friends

1 We are no longer

i Students

ii Servants

2 We are His friends

i Close friends

ii We know His will

Illus Dale – Washing

iii When we know Him we know His will

C We are partners with Jesus in love

1 Jesus loved His disciples because he

communicated His fathers will to them

i As servants they were given specific

tasks

ii As friends they were given the Fathers

plan for His church

2 We have been given God’s plan for the world

i We have been given the gospel of love

ii So that we may be able to share it with

others

3 If we are His partners then we will be obedient

and love each other

i Christian friendship is more than a

casual acquaintance

ii it is a partnership of mutual esteem and

affection (14:21).

iii Jesus elevated the disciples above mere

tools and made them partners in his

work.

a A slave is never given a reason

for the work assigned to him;

- he must perform it

- He has no other choice.

b A friend is a confidant who

shares the knowledge of his

superior’s purpose

- They voluntarily adopts

it as their own.

- Jesus declared that he

had revealed to the

disciples all that the Father had given to

him.

4 We are to love

i This is not new

ii It is embedded in the O.T. and the N.T.

iii Jesus gives us a new focus with the

command to love

a We are still to love our

neighbor,

b There is now a more intense love

is to be directed toward “one another.”

iv Jesus gives us a new standard of love.

a We are no longer to love

others “as you love yourself,”